The Conference will focus on control of the growth and differentiation of the skeleton. Emphasis will be on genetic control of skeletal development and patterning, bone and cartilage lineage, and bone growth in the adult. The focus will be on understanding events leading to the differentiation of the skeleton from unmodified mesenchyme. There will also be an analysis of the control of remodelling of existing bone and factors that influence the function of osteoblasts and osteoclasts. These findings are pertinent to human disease, as with abnormalities in the growth, development, and remodelling of the skeleton in children. Implications of the biological principles for still-poorly understood major human diseases, such as osteoporosis, will be reviewed. Scientific sessions will combine lessons learned from normal mammalian development of the skeleton and skeletal elements--especially cellular machinery--to invertebrate species. Finally, clinical correlations will be stressed wherever applicable.